Dún Laoghaire (pronounced “Dun Leary”) is a small port and seaside town located 12km from Dublin. The town is officially the capital of the administrative county of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, itself part of County Dublin, and is renowned for its port and the charm of its houses…

History of Dún Laoghaire

A city founded by the supreme king Laoghaire in the 5th century

The town of Dún Laoghaire was founded in the 5th century, when Laoghaire, then fifth supreme king of Ireland, decided to set up a maritime military base here, in order to plan attacks on France and England.

In 1807, the town suffered one of the most terrible disasters in its history… Two ships, the “Prince of Wales” and the “Rochdale”, left Dublin harbor and ran aground on the night of November 18-19, 1807, killing over 400 people. The bodies are fished out, sparking a debate about building a new port in Dublin Bay to regulate shipping traffic. Construction then began, and King George IV decided to visit the site… It was on this occasion that the town was renamed Kingstown, in honor of the British king.

The construction of the port considerably boosted the development of Dún Laoghaire: the people of Dublin built their holiday homes here, and port traffic intensified…

Dún Laoghaire only regained its Irish name in 1921, during the War of Independence (1919-1921).

Today, Dún Laoghaire is a town on the outskirts of Dublin, whose port continues to relieve Dublin’s maritime activities. Many Dubliners are used to spending weekends with their families in vacation homes…